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Chris Van Dusen
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The Circus Ship Kindle Edition

by Chris Van Dusen (Author, Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 1,672 ratings
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“The verse is sprightly, but the pictures are the true stunners.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

When a circus ship runs aground off the coast of Maine, the poor animals are left on their own, but they soon win over the wary townspeople with their kind, courageous ways. So well do the critters blend in that when the greedy circus owner returns to claim them, villagers of all species conspire to outsmart the bloated blowhard. With buoyant rhymes and brilliantly caricatured illustrations evoking the early nineteenth century, Chris Van Dusen presents a hugely entertaining tale about the bonds of community?—?and a hidden-pictures spread for eagle-eyed readers of all ages.

Previous page
  1. Reading age
    2 - 5 years, from customers
  2. Print length
    40 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Preschool - 3
  5. Lexile measure
    660L
  6. Publisher
    Candlewick Press
  7. Publication date
    November 15, 2011
  8. Page Flip
    Not Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Not Enabled
  11. Sticky notes
    Not Enabled
  12. ISBN-13
    978-0763655921
  13. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1—After their steamship en route to Boston is wrecked in a storm, a troupe of circus animals escapes bad treatment and disaster, finding its way to an island off the coast of Maine. The 1800s residents are surprised to find zebras eating their gardens and alligators lounging on woodpiles. Sympathies change when a tiger saves a toddler from a blazing shed. When a messenger announces that the cruel circus owner is returning to claim his menagerie, the citizens assist the animals in disguises and camouflage that confound him, leaving the friends to a peaceful coexistence. Van Dusen's rhymed text keeps a rollicking beat. His illustrations burst with color and energy and utilize perspective and texture to add drama and humor. Period details create a counterpoint with elements like a gorilla in a lifeboat. The spread of the animals in "hiding" is pure genius. The book honors the real circus animals that inspired this story.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA END

Review

The verse is sprightly, but the pictures are the true stunners. Bright, lampooning gouaches (familiar from the Mercy Watson series) and dizzying perspective perfectly suit this picaresque tale...Children will pore over panoramic spreads that invite them to find each of the 15 animals and celebrate a denouement that serves up Mr. Paine's just deserts. Splendid!
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005CRQ3XO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Candlewick Press (November 15, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 15, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 8176 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 1,672 ratings

About the author

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Chris Van Dusen

Chris Van Dusen

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Chris Van Dusen has created illustrations that have been published in magazines and books and printed on T-shirts and greeting cards. He lives in Maine with his wife, two sons and, naturally a dog.

Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 out of 5
1,672 global ratings
Our favorite children's book author and illustrator
5 Stars
Our favorite children's book author and illustrator
Mr Van Dusen's books are wonderful- we have time all! Fun, lyrical rhymes with great inventive stories and cheerful hilarious art. Actually fun for the adult to read. My kids 2- 4 love his books. This circus one has an especially fun page where the townspeople are trying to hide the circus animals so the mean ringmaster can't force them back to work for him...the animals are all cleverly camouflaged and our preschooler's had great fun finding them all. This is an author that never seems to get lazy with his stories. Randy Riley's really big hit, and If I built a car are two of our favorites, but they are all great. King Hugo's really big ego is great too!
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Top reviews from the United States

Poindestre4
5.0 out of 5 stars Parents will enjoy reading this again and again
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2023
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My kids LOVE this book (they have it memorized cover to cover), and it's also enjoyable for me to read. This is one of my favorite childrens picture book. It's a fun story with very creative and captivating illustrations.
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samazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Great illustrations
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2023
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My kids love this book. It was so cute to see all of the animals facial expressions. The story reads well with a nice poem. There’s a part where there’s a bunch of hidden in plain sight animals and the kids will try to find all 15 animals. My two and four year-old have enjoyed reading this many times
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Mark Stevens
5.0 out of 5 stars My kids' favorite book.
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2024
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This is my kids' favorite book. We love reading it together and the illustrations are great. You should buy it.
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Jessica L. Planer
5.0 out of 5 stars one of our favorites!
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2024
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Such a great story, fun to read!
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bp18
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2023
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Catchy rhyme, great illustrations, funny story. Ranks right up there with Seven Silly Eaters.
Our 3 year old twins love it.
One person found this helpful
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Reinbeauchaser
5.0 out of 5 stars Colorful and engaging story!
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2022
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This book was recommended to me by a friend and I couldn't be more happy with the purchase! I purchased two, one for each of my two grandchildren. My granddaughter loves it! The story is based on a true event with some less savory details changed for a more happier ending. I found the illustrations top-notch and the poetic verse logical and entertaining. My granddaughter and grandson are both 2.5 years old (12 days apart, with my grandson the oldest), but this story still captivated them, especially when the animals had to disguise themselves while out and about in town. It makes a fun activity to try and find all of the animals. I know this book will grow with my grandchildren and will most like become a favored read. I highly recommend this book.
One person found this helpful
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DIY Mom
5.0 out of 5 stars Van Dusen is a cherished author/illustrator in our home. This book does not disappoint!
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2016
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I love Chris van Dusen's illustrations. I am an artist myself and i so appreciate a well illustrated child's book. I grew up with some really special, old and beautifully illustrated books myself and I would spend hours looking at the pictures. Van Dusen doesn't fail to include special details and lots of depth to his work. I like his rhymes and flow of his books, this one is no exception. Though it isn't about Mr. Magee, my children and I really loved the circus ship because of his special attention to every inch of a page and his colorful arrangements. I have 7 of the books he has illustrated, six he also wrote. I am an addict. I would love some of his original artwork, it's so fanciful and appealing.
I started with "a camping spree with Mr. Magee." When I was 20, I bought it thinking I would one day have kids...which I did, and then we got a vintage trailer too. It was truly an inspiration. We read Van Dusen's books on every vacation we take in our trailer or when we fly, our children look forward to story time when we travel thanks to his work. The books are light weight and the Mr. Magee books are very compact, so these make for excellent travel books.
R reading these weekly will not get old.
The circus ship book, I have read three times, I make sure to not keep the book open to the same page long so I can see new things each time I read. There are a lot of things to see I. This book in particular. It's almost an I spy book. My four year old is just getting to be able to point out all the animals in the final pictures, some are so well disguised.
We look forward to more from Van Dusen and applaud his skill both in story telling and illustration.
12 people found this helpful
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Children's Lit Love
5.0 out of 5 stars A delightful tale for readers young and old!
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2018
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A delightful book for readers young and old! Author and illustrator Chris van Dusen’s tale (loosely based on a true story of a circus ship wreck) draws you in with an impressive combination of lyrical rhyme and stunning illustrations full of details.

Readers should know that this book tells the tale of a circus ship steered by a kind-hearted captain but lead by the villainous circus owner. When left to fend for themselves after their ship crashes, the animals make their way to a nearby village, and what happens next is heart-warming. Be sure to look for the animals hidden on many pages throughout the book, but especially notice the full spread where the townspeople have hidden the animals from the circus owner. While the circus owner is indeed cold-hearted, van Dusen’s over-the-top depictions of the owner led our girls (ages 2.5 and 5) to laugh rather than worry.

Publishers target this for ages 4-8. Our younger children have asked for this again and again, and every adult in our extended family truly enjoyed reading it over and over. It was a hit for all ages!
13 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Yup
5.0 out of 5 stars Great illustrations!
Reviewed in Canada on August 19, 2021
Verified Purchase
Our children enjoyed this book so much from the library we decided to purchase. We’ve also purchased as gifts for friend’s children with the ages between 3-7yrs. The story is very interesting. The book takes a few minutes to read. Each page holds our kids interest. The illustrations are very unique. There are lots of different animals in the story to search for on each page that our kids enjoy finding. Great book.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars It's a great book for children
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 17, 2023
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It's a great book for children with a good storyline and excellent illustrations. We had great fun with our grandchildren reading it on line during Lock-down. We bought a paper copy for our other grandchildren who are now old enought for it. I would think it is suitable for 5 to 8 year olds. Also 65 year olds.
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Tubla
5.0 out of 5 stars Book that leaves you with a smile
Reviewed in India on March 16, 2020
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A lovely feel good book, teaching love for animals.
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Judith
5.0 out of 5 stars Lo recomiendo
Reviewed in Spain on April 22, 2019
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Lo compré para ver si mi hijo pasaría tanto tiempo con este libro como con el de "cars, trucks and things that go" de Richard Scarry, (muy recomendable) y para mi sorpresa, él no estuvo tan apasionado por este libro porque no está cargadísimo de dibujos como el otro, le gustó pero no se lo mira tanto, sin embargo le pongo las cinco estrellas porque a mi sobrino le encanto. Al otro libro que he mencionado antes casi ni ok miraba, y con este pasaba más rato. Así que yo ya quedé satisfecha
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L.E.
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun rhyming book with vibrant pictures
Reviewed in Germany on October 21, 2018
Verified Purchase
A fun rhyming book that’s great to read aloud and with beautiful, vibrant pictures. My 3 different-aged children love the page where they have to find all 15 hidden animals.
We ordered this book again, since our original copy got wet and my children just HAD to have it in their collection. Was delivered promptly and perfectly.
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